Mäpuru (note Yolŋu spelling using the
ä, pronounced XX)

"Arnhemland is like the
European Union, made up of many different nations, each clan-nation
with their own language, each with its own national estate. Bringing
everybody in from the homeland centres into the major settlements is
not the right thing to do because people do not feel secure or happy
living in another man’s land."

Mapuru is located in east Arnhemland, home of 40 or so Yolŋu
nations. Over 40 years ago Elders decided to establish a permanent base
at Mäpuru on their ancestral estates. The first airstrip was
cleared in the mid 1960s with axes to fell trees, then removing the
stumps with small iron bars. They built the community through their own
efforts and resources. Like all Yolŋu towns in Arnhemland, Mäpuru,
by the decision of the elders has always been dry. Community decisions
are made after reaching consensus between the families, younger
community members are expected to defer to the wisdom of their elders.

In 2002 the residents established a food cooperative to sell
necessities and non-perishable food items. The store does not sell soft
drinks, lollies or chips. Stock is intended to supplement locally
hunted foods in order to maintain strong cultural contact with the land
and because hunted food is always healthier and fresher than store
bought food. These are the reasons why in 2005 the Mapuru co-op won a National Heart
Foundation award for
their initiative. With the Federal Government’s NTER came the
BasicsCard – and the decision that the Mäpuru store was not
eligible to be a part of this system. With half of people’s pensions
and welfare payments being compulsorily put onto this card, they had no
choice but to shop where the card was accepted. From Mäpuru this
meant Elcho Island, either a $500 flight or a 1 hour boat journey
preceded by a 40minute drive, and then returning. After much lobbying
by Mäpuru Homelands and their friends, the Federal Government
reversed its decision. This change of policy was welcomed because,
despite the hardships, families were determined not to relocate. The
NTER was forced on NT black territorians after (wrongful) claims by the
federal government of violence, abuse and dysfunction in all territory
communities.

"Here at
Mapuru there is no gambling, alcohol, or abuse or violence towards
children or any of the other bad things that happen in towns and
cities, we live peacefully together. We are good people" says Roslyn Malŋumba.

As a cooperative all store profits are returned to the community so
decreased sales affects everyone. The store is managed by community
members and school teacher Jackie Nguluwidi. In Mäpuru telling one
story means telling many, you cannot separate the shop from the school,
from vehicles, from weaving, from local tourism ventures - it is all
interconnected. This is because everything is interconnected; kinship,
culture, country, history, the past, present and the future. Each
decision of the community is made thinking about the community as a
whole and the flow on effects that may occur. For example, the logical
place to open the store was in the same building as the school
(Mäpuru Homeland Learning Centre) - in part because Jackie already
worked at the school, it had a telephone and a storeroom. Even more
importantly it was because learning literacy and numeracy skills and
Western ways is much easier in a real life setting.

The success and relative autonomy of Mapuru is unique and Jackie
explains a fundamental reason for this; “We
can only do things and speak up strongly because we are living on our
home-lands, we couldn't do this on Elcho Island, that is not our
country, that land belongs to someone else." (Elcho Island, also
known as Galiwin'ku is where about twenty or so Yolŋu nations have been
centralised and live together.)

The community paid for and constructed the first Homeland Learning
Centre themselves in 1982. The NT Department of Education and Training
draft policy stipulates that before it will fund any teaching staff for
a Homeland community - the community must provide a place for classes
to be held, a community person to be the teacher and run the school
(with no financial remuneration) for at least six months. Twenty eight
years later after continued lobbying, meetings with Elders, commitments
by the NT Minister for Education and eventually Mäpuru Homelands
approaching the Northern Territory Christian Schools Association – two
full time teachers and two assistant teachers are being paid to provide
schooling to the children of Mäpuru.

School teachers were interviewed by the community before being
appointed and since July 2010 the school program has run in a manner
that is appropriate and meaningful to the children and respectful and
inclusive of community values and traditions. As an independent school
they are not bound to new NT regulations that curb the teaching of
first languages in favour of English. The school has a flexible and
realistic approach which gives learning a context. For example students
accompany Jackie to pick up and unload the latest pallet of stock for
the store, they undertake stocktakes, stacking, recording, making
sales, using the EFTPOS machine and are gaining skills that would take
much, much longer to learn (if at all) in a text-book, classroom
setting. Students are encouraged to meet and mentor visitors who come
to participate in
cultural weaving tours.

Over eight years ago in 2003 the women of Mapuru started a tourism business
where women from around Australia and the world come and learn about
weaving and Yolŋu culture. Girls from the school take part in these
trips with their mothers, aunties and relatives - they experience
positive interaction with respectful non-Indigenous people and teach
these visiting women Yolŋu language and in turn learn more about
western ways. The Mäpuru women are renowned for their skilled and
aesthetically beautiful weaving. The tours involve collecting pandanus
leaves, bark, collecting dyes from plant roots, and then imparting
their weaving skills. But it is much more than that.

As Jackie's sister Roslyn says;"For the
first time in our lives we are meeting visitors who are not paid
service providers or public servants, paid to 'teach' and tell us how
to do things, that hurts us inside. The weaving visitors are different.
These women are respectful, not telling us what to do, but want to be
with us and learn from us. For the first time my families are getting
back dignity and self esteem that can't be bought with money."

The Mäpuru women are reversing the approach taken by governments
and service providers who wrongly believe that Yolŋu have nothing to
teach and must be taught and trained, be told what to do and how to do
it. The Mäpuru women know differently, they have wisdom,
knowledge and expert skills to teach visitors. Skills and knowledge
handed down for countless generations, together with a sacred wisdom
borne of an ancient dynamic culture.

These community initiatives have now expanded to include a tour for
men's business and importantly, many people are returning for second,
even fourth trips. As Roslyn puts it;“It’s not
just about tourism anymore, it’s about relationships, long term
relationships with good respectful people. That's true reconciliation".

Mapuru residents have made a
number of public statements in the
form of video and audio files. A selection of these public statements
and submissions to government can be downloaded from the links below:

In 2008 the Northern Territory
government called for submissions to their Outstation Discussion Paper:
Submission by Ian
Wuruwul September 2008

Following the submissions made
by Mäpuru residents to the Outstation
Discussion Paper Roslyn Malŋumba, like her brother Jackie decided to
make a public
statement for her Yolŋu families and others interested people.Roslyn
Malŋumba 18 May 2009

Jackie made a further statement
in response to difficulties experienced by himself and his family
members in understanding and working with policies and programs
implemented by FaHCSIA and Centrelink . Jackie
Ŋuluwidi 18 September 2009

A selection
of documents detaling interactions between Mäpuru residents,
Centrelink and FaHCSIA with
reference to the Mäpuru Coop.